Table of Contents
What is strategy?
Strategy is the process of designing a course of action that will achieve a desired outcome.
What is business strategy?
Business strategy is a plan that helps companies realize their goals in the marketplace. It includes developing short- and long-term plans, setting priorities, and making decisions about how to allocate resources.
What is strategy map?
Strategy map is a graphic representation of an organization's strategy. It helps decision makers understand the relationships among different elements of the strategy and how they relate to each other. It also can help identify potential threats or opportunities, and suggest ways to address them.
What is strategic management?
Strategic management is the process of managing a business or organization to achieve its strategic objectives.
These objectives may be short-term, medium-term, or long-term, and may include financial objectives (such as increasing profits), market position objectives (such as maintaining a leading market share), organizational goals (such as improving employee productivity), and customer satisfaction objectives. A key aspect of strategic management is developing a comprehensive plan to achieve these objectives.
Why is a business strategy important?
A business strategy is important because it sets the direction and purpose for a company. It identifies what the company wants to achieve and tries to find ways to achieve it.
What is strategic thinking?
Strategic thinking is the process of identifying and refining a long-term, comprehensive plan to achieve a specific objective.
What are levels of business strategies?
There are different levels of business strategies depending on the size of the company and what its goals are.
Some common levels of business strategies are:
- Short-term strategies (aimed at one or two years)
- Mid-term strategies (aimed at three to five years)
- Long-term strategies (aimed at 10 or more years)
What is balanced scorecard?
A balanced scorecard is a tool used by organizations to measure and track progress against specific objectives. The scores from each component are weighted according to their contribution to the organization's overall objective.
How to measure strategy success?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as it depends on the specific goals of the strategy in question and the context in which it was implemented.
Some common indicators of strategy success might include lower costs or improved performance relative to objectives, enhanced customer satisfaction, or increased market share.
How do you formulate a business strategy?
A business strategy usually starts with understanding what the company’s goals are and then developing policies and plans to achieve those goals.
A business’s ultimate goal is to make money, and it will pursue strategies that will help it do this. Strategies may include generating new leads, attracting customers, expanding into new markets, developing new products or services, or improving efficiency. A business also must plan for possible risks and seize opportunities when they arise.
Some other factors to consider when developing a business strategy include: the company’s competitive environment, its current and potential customers, available resources, and the regulatory environment.
In addition, a business may have specific goals it wants to achieve (such as increasing revenue or decreasing costs), or it may want to promote a particular image or style. Once these objectives are defined, the business should develop policies and plans based on those goals.
What are strategy concepts and frameworks?
Strategy concepts and frameworks are ways of thinking about how to achieve goals in an organization. There are many different strategy concepts and frameworks, but some of the most common ones include:
- The Five Forces Model
- The Porter's Five Forces Model
- Open Innovation Framework
- 3M Strategy Framework
Business strategy examples
Some examples of business strategy include:
- determining what product or services to provide
- marketing the products/services
- pricing the products/services
- developing and implementing a distribution plan
- creating customer service policies and procedures
- developing employee training programs
- maintaining accounting and financial records
Components of a business strategy
There are many elements to a business strategy and it is important that the organization understands what they need to do in order to compete, grow, and succeed. Generally, a business strategy will include:
- Mission statement – What does the company want to achieve?
- Business goals – What are the specific targets the company wants to achieve?
- Key strategies – How will the company achieve its goals?
- Plans of action – What will the company do to achieve its goals?
- Resources – How much money, personnel, and resources will be needed to achieve the goals?
- Timeline – When will the company achieve its goals?
- Risks and challenges – What are potential obstacles that could prevent the company from achieving its goals?
- Monitoring and evaluation – How will the company know if it is meeting its goals?
Origins of strategy
Strategy is said to originate from the Greek word strategos which means general. The word was first used in connection with warfare by Homer in the Iliad. There, strategos is used to describe Achilles' advisor, Thetis.
Corporate strategy and portfolio theory
Corporate strategy and portfolio theory are two related fields of study that focus on the management of a company's assets. Corporate strategy aims to create long-term shareholder value, while portfolio theory is used to help make decisions about which investments to make in a company's portfolio.
One key focus of corporate strategy is the identification of a unique, sustainable competitive advantage for a company. This can be done by identifying and exploiting new market opportunities, developing new products or services, or improving efficiency in existing areas.
Another key goal of corporate strategy is to ensure that a company's operations are as efficient as possible, so that it can allocate its resources where they will produce the most value for shareholders.
Portfolio theory is used to help make decisions about which investments to make in a company's portfolio. Portfolio theory emphasizes the importance of risk and return, and helps managers decide which investments to make in order for a company to achieve its goals.
One key focus of portfolio theory is the assessment of risks and returns associated with different investments. Managers can use this information to make informed decisions about which investments to make in a company's portfolio.
Portfolio theory also allows for a comparison of the risks and returns of different investments to help identify which ones are providing the best value.
What is business metric?
A business metric is a numeric or qualitative measure that helps managers and executives track progress or assess performance of an organization.
Business metrics can be used to measure the efficiency of operations, customer satisfaction, and sales performance. They are also used to measure intangible aspects of business such as brand image or innovation.
Examples of common business metrics include revenue, profit, employee turnover, and stock price.
What is KPI?
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a numeric or alphanumeric measure of performance that can be used to track the progress and success of an organization or enterprise. A KPI may be used to measure the efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability of an organization in a specific area, such as sales.
What is OKR?
Objectives and Key Results or “OKRs” is a performance management tool used in businesses to track and measure progress towards specific goals.
An OKR is a template for setting goals that can be easily understood by those responsible for achieving them. An objective is a measurable target, and key result is the final outcome that an organization aims to achieve as part of its goal.
There are usually three key dimensions to any OKR: time-based, results-based, and user-defined.
Time-based OKRs are typically aimed at specific periods of time, such as quarterly or annual. Results-based OKRs are based on progress towards specific goals, rather than waiting for a pre-determined deadline. Users can set their own key results and deadlines, which makes it more flexible.
User-defined OKRs give employees the freedom to set their own objectives and key results, which can be tailored to reflect their individual strengths and interests.
What is strategic system?
A strategic system is a set of interconnected business or organizational policies and practices that guide how an organization fares in its marketplace. It coordinates the actions of different departments to achieve specific goals, makes decisions about tradeoffs among different courses of action, and allocates resources in order to achieve the desired results.
What is a performance management system?
A performance management system is a set of protocols, tools and techniques used to evaluate and improve employee performance. Performance evaluations can include measurements of objectives, such as sales goals or customer satisfaction ratings, as well as subjective measures such as employee morale. A performance management system also includes a systematic approach for tracking and improving employee performance.
This information is used to make decisions about promotions, pay raises and other forms of compensation.
A performance management system can help organizations improve their overall productivity and effectiveness. By focusing on employee performance rather than individual achievement, a performance management system can reduce morale problems and encourage teams to work more collaboratively.
In addition, a well-designed performance management system can help employees identify areas in which they need to improve and help them develop strategies for improvement.
What are generic competitive strategies?
Generic competitive strategies consist of a set of general ideas or approaches that firms can use to compete in their markets. These strategies may be used by any company, regardless of its size, industry, or competition. Generic competitive strategies can include:
1) Pricing: Firms may adjust their prices to make their products more affordable or competitively priced compared to those of their rivals.
2) Product innovation: Firms may develop new products or improve existing ones to stay ahead of the competition.
3) Distribution: Firms may focus on expanding their distribution channels or developing new marketing strategies to reach more customers.
4) Resource allocation: Firms may focus on increasing productivity or cutting costs in order to remain competitive.
5) Human resources: Firms may invest in training their employees to be better competitors, innovators, and stewards of resources.
What is value chain?
A value chain is a sequence of activities and links between producers, suppliers, distributors, and customers in the production of goods and services.
It is a way of understanding how a product or service is created and delivered.
The value chain identifies the resources used in its production and the stages through which they are accessed. Usually, it begins with raw materials, goes through technical processing, produces intermediate products, and ends with finished goods or services.
What is industry structure?
Industry structure is a way of describing the distribution of industries within an economy. It can be split into three main categories: product, process, and sector. The product category describes the physical makeup of an industry, such as how many different types of products are produced.
The process category describes the methods used to produce products, such as how factories are organized. The sector category describes the specific activities that take place in an industry, such as how many people work in the sector.
The three main types of industry structure are concentric, radial, and laissez faire. Concentric industry structure is where most industries are located around a center point, such as in a circular pattern. Radial industry structure is where industries are spread out evenly around the perimeter of a circle, with no central focus. Laissez faire industry structure is where individual firms can do what they want without interference from the government.
What is go-to-market strategy?
The go-to-market strategy identifies the marketing channels that are most likely to generate leads and sales for a product or service. It also decides which channels to use and how much money to spend on each.
What are Porter's 5 forces?
Porter's five forces is a model for industry analysis developed by Michael Porter in the 1990s. The model assesses the competitive intensity and potential profitability of an industry. It considers five factors:
- Threat of new entrants: How easy is it for new competitors to enter the industry?
- Threat of substitutes: What are the possible substitutes for the main product or service?
- Bargaining power of customers: How powerful are customers and how likely are they to switch to another supplier?
- Bargaining power of suppliers: How powerful are suppliers and how likely are they to raise prices?
- Overall economic conditions: How stable is the economy and how likely are there to be changes in demand or supply? How many firms dominate the industry?
What is experience curve?
A graph (often represented as a V-shape) that shows the relationship between the number of units produced and the cost of producing each additional unit.
What is a learning curve?
A learning curve is the steepness of a slope on a graph that shows how quickly a person or machine can learn to do something new.
What is business vision?
Business vision is the long-term goal of a company. It outlines what the company wants to be known for and what it wishes to achieve.
It also sets out what the company values and how it expects its customers and employees to behave.
A good business vision should be compelling, inspiring, and achievable. It should describe why a company exists and what its unique selling proposition is. It should be clear about the company's direction and where it is heading. The vision should be flexible enough to adapt as the company changes, but consistent across all aspects of the business.
A good business strategy should be designed to help the company achieve its vision and goals. It should focus on how the company can grow, manage risks, and develop new products or services. The strategy should be well thought out and specific, outlining what actions the company will take to reach its objectives.
What is business mission?
The business mission is a public statement of the purpose or goals of an organization.
It is often used to guide decision-making, set expectations with customers and employees, and communicate the company's culture.
In many cases, the business mission is expressed in the company's Statement of Principles or Values.
What is value proposition?
The value proposition is the message that a company sends to potential customers in order to describe what it provides and why it is preferable to its competitors.
The goal is to create a compelling case for why the customer should choose that company's product over those of its competitors.
A company's value proposition often depends on its product(s), target market, and positioning.
A product's value lies in the benefits it provides to the customer. A company's target market is the group of people who will be most likely to benefit from its product. Companies can position themselves either as leaders or followers in their markets.